Running back Javon Williams Jr. rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown in the Salukis’ 35-18 loss at home to Youngstown State. (Photo by SIUSalukis.com)

Qua Brown sat calmly in a Zoom press conference Saturday afternoon, talking about Southern Illinois’ 35-18 home loss to Youngstown State, the last-place finisher in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

After losing a game the 15th-ranked Salukis needed to strengthen their FCS playoff hopes, Brown dreaded the game that followed Saturday’s defeat – the waiting game.

“I’m just trying to stay positive right now, Brown said. “You never know what might happen with the playoff selection committee. It’s a pretty tough loss.”

The loss left the Salukis at 7-4 overall and 5-3 in the MVFC and was particularly frustrating since it came against three-win Youngstown (3-7, 2-6). SIU is among three teams tied for third place in the league and now must await Sunday’s 11:30 a.m. announcement on ESPNU of the 24-team playoff field.

In 2019, SIU was left out of the field with a 7-5 record.

“It’s a sick feeling, truthfully,” Brown said. “We were literally in the same position back in 2019. It’s pretty ironic how it’s going to be the same exact situation … having to sit there and watch the playoff committee decide right in front of our faces.”

The Penguins raced out to a 21-3 lead thanks to All-MVFC tailback Jaleel McLaughlin, who rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns. YSU rushed the ball 53 times as a team for 268 yards and were able to play keepaway once they got the lead, piling up 35 minutes, 29 seconds in time of possession.

The Salukis were held scoreless in the second half, the only time that has happened to SIU against an FCS opponent this season.

“We understood how big of a game this was, so the last thing we wanted to do was panic,” Brown said. “They knew they didn’t have anything to lose. I think the biggest thing that motivated them was just not allowing us to get into the playoffs.”

Hill said he hopes the committee looks at SIU’s entire season and not just the last month when deciding if it belongs in the playoffs.

“Everybody in the country knows that we can rattle off a few wins,” he said. “When you look at the top teams in the country, we deserve to be in there.”

Here are three things Prairie State Pigskin learned about the Southern Illinois loss:

This Penguin can run

In March, McLaughlin had 124 yards and two touchdowns in an SIU victory.

He posted 49 rushing yards on the first two YSU drives Saturday and helped the Penguins to a 14-0 lead.

“You give him a crease, and it can be deadly,” Hill said. “He made us pay. We weren’t good enough.”

McLaughlin’s 38-yard scoring run with 2:55 before halftime gave Youngstown a 28-10 lead. After Southern got within 10 points just before halftime, McLaughlin broke a 35-yard TD run early in the third quarter to put his team up by three scores again.

For the season, McLaughlin has compiled 1,139 yards.

2. Offense spins its wheels

Despite 430 yards of total offense, the Salukis struggled to make connections in the passing game and went 0-for-3 on red-zone opportunities in the fourth quarter.

SIU quarterback Nic Baker finished 11-for-34 passing for 126 yards and a touchdown. He threw two interceptions and was sacked twice.

“What we didn’t do was really attacking in the red zone and executing and actually getting in the end zone,” said SIU running back Justin Strong, who had a team-high 107 rushing yards. “We have to push the ball, and we know we’re capable. We didn’t execute.”

Hill said right guard Chase Evans (flu) could not play and right tackle Lucas Davis (knee) left the game in the first half and didn’t return.

“Our right side was brand new,” he said.

When SIU was forced to throw late in the game, Baker completed only four of 18 fourth-quarter attempts.

“They knew we were throwing it, so that’s a tough deal,” Hill said. “It’s not ideal to throw the ball in those situations.”

3. One tough month

One piece of SIU’s resume that the committee must judge is its 1-3 record over the final month of the season.

The Salukis gave up 117 points in the past four games.

On Saturday, they allowed a successful fake punt, a 58% YSU success rate on third downs and were called for 11 penalties for 89 yards.

The Salukis were coming off of a 45-21 victory at Indiana State a week ago that ended a two-game losing streak.

“You have to come ready every week,” Strong said. “It doesn’t matter what you did last week.”

What’s next?

The Salukis nervously await Sunday’s FCS playoff pairings announcement at 11:30 a.m. on ESPNU.